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Revisiting the Citizen Initiative

Back in November, I blogged about the Citizen Initiative — a concept entrenched in the Lisbon Treaty. I am interested in this because of its direct relevance to the world of open governance. Open governments are transparent, and invite collaboration and participation. I believe that the initiative is about making all of that possible in the EU — by creating a direct link between citizens and the institutions where it is so needed that 1 million such citizens demand it!

I reckon that if done right ECIs can add another channel for democratic input – but if done wrong, it could be a bureaucratic nightmare, or just another lobbying tool. So it’s good to see people (especially politicians) discussing how the ECI will work on the ground.